[Breeze]

~September 2, 2016

Went to see my oncologist Dr. Reddy to get details on what was found during all the testing. When I went in, he informed me that I have non-small cell cancer and it is mostly pleural effusion in nature (lung lining). This type of cancer is much more common in non-smokers. In addition, he stated he felt I probably had a mutation cancer, but that additional tests had to be run to determine that. HE went on to tell me that there was a spot on my brain about the size of a period on a piece of paper that would need to be taken care of. In addition, there were three tiny spots in my abdomen as well. The fact that the cancer is now dispersed through the body makes this advanced (stage IV).

There were a million questions from me, obviously:

- how did this happen I've been so healthy
- should I have recognized a symptom so it could have been caught quicker
- what are my treatment options
- what is likely to kill me
- and numerous other questions I can't even recall at this point.

He asked me some questions about my background and work history to see if I could have been exposed to something that might have triggered this, but there were no obvious indicators so basically, he has no idea why might have caused the cancer.

He told me that there probably weren't any indicators for me to noticed and that based on the spread of the cancer I've probably had it for a couple of years even though I felt healthy. He added that if my cancer is a mutation that it is very common for it to strike younger people and it often is caught until it is already stage IV.

Treatment will depend on the results of the mutation test. If I have a mutation there are drugs that will specifically attack just mutated cells, thus the side effects aren't as great. If not, I'll go into standard chemo.

What is likely to kill me, oddly enough it is the period size brain lesion. The one I currently have can be handled extremely easily, but unfortunately once cancer gets into the central nervous system (CNS), it tends to continue to pop up new and more spots, until it reaches a point that pinpoint radiation is no longer an option.

You will notice one item I did not ask was, "How long have I got?" That is a question, that I will not ask. He did volunteer that with my age and health he expects to have me around for quite a while. I don't know odds, or best/worst case scenarios, and I've avoided blogs, reports, writings that include that information. So if you decide to read and follow along with my journey, and you research this aspect of the disease yourself, PLEASE DON'T POST IT HERE - it is easy enough to go to the dark places without that albatross around my neck.


Because I have the lesion on the brain, I had to make an appointment with the radiological oncologist and a neurologist. Plus I had to schedule a follow up with the oncologist to go over the pathology report (determine if the cancer is a mutation or not).